Simon Claisse with the latest on the ground ahead of the Cheltenham Festival

With the Cheltenham Festival now just eight days away, we've outlined everything you need to know about current ground conditions as the sport gears up for the four-day bonanza, starting on Tuesday, March 16.

The official going description

The going at Cheltenham is good to soft, good in places on all three courses (the Old course, cross-country course and New course).

View from the course

Clerk of the course Simon Claisse said on Monday afternoon: "After some dry days I've changed the going to good to soft, good in places on all three courses. There is some rain forecast from Tuesday that gets more intense. We'll get about 15mm by the end of the week."

The last racing to go ahead at Cheltenham was the two-day meeting on December 11 and 12. The track's two meetings since then had to be cancelled – New Year's Day and Trials day on January 30.

Cheltenham Festival unwrapped: the lowdown on all 28 races and the track

What does the forecast say?

Following a dry and cold weekend, temperatures will become milder. Up to 15mm of rain is forecast through the week, beginning Tuesday.

What's the latest betting?

Betting is available on the official description of the opening-day ground with Paddy Power.

Paddy Power: 4-11 good to soft, 7-4 soft, 33 good, 40 heavy

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Don't miss the Racing Post Cheltenham Festival Guide 2021 – 208 pages featuring Paul Kealy's race-by-race guide, Racing Post Ratings, top tipsters, bookmaker Q&A, trainer analysis and more. Only £12.99. Order here or call 01933 304858. Out now!